http://www.sundayherald.com/46389
Will the higher ups like Rumsfeld listen? Or will this be pushed aside?
Will the higher ups like Rumsfeld listen? Or will this be pushed aside?
?The war has increased mistrust of America in Europe,? the report adds, ?weakened support for the war on terrorism and undermined US credibility worldwide.? This, in turn, poses an increased threat to US national security.
?Thus when American public diplomacy talks about bringing democracy to Islamic societies, this is seen as no more than self-serving hypo crisy. Moreover, saying that ?freedom is the future of the Middle East? is seen as patronising ? in the eyes of Muslims, the American occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq has not led to democracy there, but only more chaos and suffering. US actions appear in contrast to be motivated by ulterior motives, and deliberately controlled in order to best serve American national interests at the expense of truly Muslim self-determination.?
Rather than supporting tyranny, most Muslim want to overthrow tyrannical regimes like Saudi Arabia. ?The US finds itself in the strategically awkward ? and potentially dangerous ? situation of being the long-standing prop and alliance partner of these authoritarian regimes. Without the US, these regimes could not survive,? the report says.
?Americans are convinced that the US is a benevolent ?superpower? that elevates values emphasising freedom ? deep down we assume that everyone should naturally support our policies. Yet the world of Islam ? by overwhelming majorities at this time ? sees things differently. Muslims see American policies as inimical to their values, American rhetoric about freedom and democracy as hypocritical and American actions as deeply threatening.